Birmingham’s city-centre sculpture of Queen Victoria is reimagined by acclaimed Guyanese-British artist Hew Locke, presented by <a href="https://www.birmingham2022.com/festival/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Birmingham 2022 Festival</a>.
Originally unveiled in 1901, Sir Thomas Brock’s marble figure of Queen Victoria was then recast in bronze by William Bloye and members of Birmingham School of Art in 1951. Locke’s vision is to create “an object of veneration, leading a battalion of other statues to represent the home nation throughout the Empire.”
Locke’s interest in the power of statues originates from his childhood in Guyana where he passed a sculpture of Queen Victoria every day on the way to school. He has been reimagining historical statues for twenty years. Commissioned by Ikon, this is Locke’s first temporary public sculpture.
Generously supported by <a href="https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Arts Council England</a>, <a href="https://www.heritagefund.org.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">National Lottery Heritage Fund</a>, <a href="https://www.henry-moore.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Henry Moore Foundation</a> and the Ikon Investment Fund.
Ikon presented a major exhibition by Hew Locke, <a href="/exhibition/hew-locke-heres-the-thing">Here’s The Thing</a>, in 2019.

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Birminghamu2019s city-centre sculpture of Queen Victoria is reimagined by acclaimed Guyanese-British artist Hew Locke. Presented by Birmingham 2022 Festival and commissioned by Ikon, Foreign Exchange will remain on view through the summer and during the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.nnOriginally unveiled in 1901, Sir Thomas Brocku2019s marble figure of Queen Victoria was then recast in bronze by William Bloye and members of Birmingham School of Art in 1951. Lockeu2019s vision is to create u201can object of veneration, leading a battalion of other statues to represent the home nation throughout the Empire.u201dnnLockeu2019s interest in the power of statues originates from his childhood in Guyana where he passed a sculpture of Queen Victoria every day on the way to school. He has been reimagining historical statues for twenty years. Commissioned by Ikon, this is Lockeu2019s first temporary public sculpture.nnGenerously supported by Arts Council England, National Lottery Heritage Fund, Henry Moore Foundation and the Ikon Investment Fund.nnIkon presented a major exhibition by Hew Locke, Hereu2019s The Thing, in 2019.

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Hew Locke - Foreign Exchange

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Guyanese-British artist Hew Locke discusses his new public artwork, Foreign Exchange (2022), with Dr Gus Casely-Hayford. Together they consider Lockeu2019s reimagining of Birminghamu2019s city-centre sculpture of Queen Victoria.nnSupported by Birmingham Cathedral and Birmingham 2022 Festival.nnFollowing the talk there will be a free concert with musician Germa Adan, presented by Celebrating Sanctuary Birmingham (CSB).nnThis event is part of The Migrant Festival 2022 and Ikonu2019s Arrivals programme for Summer 2022, concerned with the international movement of people and ideas and organised to coincide with the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.nnAbout the speakersnnHew Locke was born in Edinburgh in 1959, lived in Georgetown, Guyana, from 1966 to 1980, and is currently based in London. He is an Royal Academician and obtained a B.A. Fine Art in Falmouth (1988) and an M.A. Sculpture at the Royal College of Art, London (1994). His work is represented in many international collections including those of The Government Art Collection, The Pu00e9rez Art Museum Miami, The Tate Gallery, The Arts Council of England, The National Trust, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, The Brooklyn Museum, New York, The New Art Gallery Walsall, The Victoria & Albert Museum, The Imperial War Museum, The British Museum and The Henry Moore Institute, Leeds. His work The Procession is currently on view at Tate Britain as part of their annual Commission series, and forthcoming projects include The Met Museumu2019s 2022 Facade Commission.nnIkon presented a major exhibition by Hew Locke, Hereu2019s The Thing, in 2019.nnDr Gus Casely-Hayford OBE is the inaugural Director of V&A East, appointed in March 2020, and Professor of Practice, SOAS, University of London. He is a curator and cultural historian who writes, lectures and broadcasts widely on culture, having presented a number of series for Sky, BBC radio and television and other channels. Formerly Executive Director of Arts Strategy, Arts Council England, and Ex-Director of the Institute of International Contemporary Art, he has offered leadership to both large and medium scale organisations including the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art. Casely-Hayford has served on the boards of many cultural institutions, including the National Trust and the National Portrait Gallery. He is a Cultural Fellow of Kingu2019s College London, a Fellow of Jesus College, Cambridge, a Board Member of the Creative Industries Federation and a Trustee of the Karun Thakur Foundation.

Hew Locke and Gus Casely-Hayford - Artist's Talk

Foreign Exchange, Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Foreign Exchange, Release

Press Release 

Hew Locke school offer

Schools Offer 

KS1 - Activity Pack- Hew-Locke

KS1 Activity Pack 

KS2 - Activity Pack- Hew-Locke

KS2 Activity Pack 

KS3 - Activity Pack- Hew-Locke

KS3 Activity Pack 

KS4 - Activity Pack- Hew-Locke

KS4 Activity Pack 

Foreign Exchange by Hew Locke

Hew Locke Foreign Exchange

Foreign Exchange

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Hew-Locke,-Souvenir-9-(Queen-Victoria),-(2019)

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Hew Locke Interview

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David Lammy and Hew Locke

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2022

Birmingham’s city-centre sculpture of Queen Victoria is reimagined by acclaimed Guyanese-British artist Hew Locke, presented by Birmingham 2022 Festival.

Document Name	Type	Size
Frequently Asked Questions	pdf	135.4 kB
Press Release	pdf	1.9 MB
Schools Offer	pdf	1.0 MB
KS1 Activity Pack	pdf	1.4 MB
KS2 Activity Pack	pdf	1.7 MB
KS3 Activity Pack	pdf	1.6 MB
KS4 Activity Pack	pdf	1.9 MB

Hew Locke

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Foreign Exchange

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